Seashorts 2019 Programme

Opening Film: Ten Years Thailand

Four Thai filmmakers envisage their homeland a decade onwards in this second installment of the Ten Years project, following the first Hong Kong-based anthology in 2015. Aditya Assarat, Apichatpong Weerasethakul, Chulayarnnon Siriphol, and Wisit Sasanatieng each contribute a segment that taken together sound a warning about the current political climate in Thailand. Since 2014, the country has been ruled by a military dictatorship that curbs dissent, public expression, as well as creativity and diversity of thought. A new form of nationalism is on the rise, one with rigid rules of state-sanctioned logic and action. Left unchecked, what will the decade ahead look like?

Sunset by Aditya Assarat

Investigating a routine complaint, several soldiers visit an art gallery as part of checks on exhibitions around town to ensure there are no images that may cause conflict and misunderstanding. Young and naive conscript Kaen has a romantic encounter with Ann, the gallery’s cleaning girl, but does not have the courage to speak up.

Catopia by Wisit Sasanatieng

A young man leads an otherwise average life except for one difference: he is the sole human remaining in a world of cats that walk, dress, act, and talk the way people do. Some are even his friends. However, the humanoid felines are unaware that he is not of their kind, and so he must blend in as much as possible to escape suspicion.

Planetarium by Chulayarnnon Siriphol

A youth organisation is trained by the state to find and arrest citizens who diverge from the established norms. Offenders are brought to the Ministry of VHS, where they undergo correctional discipline by way of a special light treatment. Through this, the authorities maintain a peaceful society of permanently happy faces.

Song of The City by Apichatpong Weerasethakul

In Rathchadanussorn Park in Khon Kaen, people gather to enjoy the breeze and chit chat under the watchful eyes of Field Marshal Sarit Thanarat’s statue. Construction abounds in the surroundings as they pass the time talking about old memories, new plans, and a device that promotes restful well-being.

SSC 1: Ballad of Blood and Two White Buckets by Yosep Anggi Noen (Indonesia)

Synopsis: A couple selling congealed blood find their livelihood endangered by shifting religious beliefs.

Director Bio: Yosep Anggi Noen is a director and writer, known for Solo, Solitude (2016), The Science of Fictions (2019), and A Lady Caddy Who Never Saw a Hole in One (2013).

Country of Production: Indonesia

Language: Indonesia

Duration: 15min

Year of Production: 2018

SSC 1: The Sea Recalls by Aekaphong Saransate (Thailand)

Synopsis: The director returns to the site of his uncle’s murder to probe the man’s past and cope with his absence.

Director Bio: Aekaphong is a filmmaker based in Bangkok.

Country of Production: Thailand

Language: Thai

Duration: 27min 23 sec

Year of Production: 2018

SSC 1: Kingdom by Tan Wei Keong (Singapore)

Synopsis: The quiet, atmospheric terrain of a forest is intruded by a lost man.

Director Bio: Tan Wei Keong’s animations combine personal storytelling with fantasy worlds to explore identity and self.

Country of Production: Singapore

Language: No dialogue

Duration: 5min 15sec

Year of Production: 2018

SSC 1: Vinegar Baths by Amanda Nell Eu (Malaysia)

Synopsis: A tired and overworked nurse at the maternity ward finds joy when she is alone roaming the hospital corridors at night. It’s the time when she can finally eat.

Director Bio: Amanda’s work explores the female body and identity within the context of Southeast Asia.

Country of Production: Malaysia

Language: English

Duration: 14min 1sec

Year of Production: 2018

SSC 2: Levitating Exhibition by Ukrit Sa-nguanhai (Thailand)

Synopsis: Stories unfold as housekeepers of a fancy love motel go about their duties in maintaining the establishment’s timeless beauty.

Director Bio: Ukrit Sa-nguanhai (1990) is a Thai video artist and filmmaker.

Country of Production: Thailand

Language: Thai

Duration: 19min 58sec

Year of Production: 2018

SSC 2: Pencil by Gina Tan (Singapore)

Synopsis: Set against the backdrop of the 90s, two best friends find their bond tested.

Director Bio: Gina’s filmography include Gender X (2019), Pencil (2018), Transit (2011), and Filial Haven (2011).

Country of Production: Singapore

Language: Chinese

Duration: 15min 13sec

Year of Production: 2018

SSC 2: Cold Fish by Thanh Đoàn (Vietnam)

Synopsis: A girl and two men harbour veiled obsessions that are only bared in their private spaces.

Director Bio: Thanh Đoàn is a filmmaker based in Saigon. Cold Fish is her debut short film upon winning the benex Award at FLY2016. Thanh’s work revolves around stories of small but remarkable sadnesses.

Country of Production: Vietnam

Language: Vietnamese

Duration: 16min 39sec

Year of Production: 2018

SSC 2: New Land Broken Road by Kavich Neang (Cambodia)

Synopsis: Three young hip-hop dancers make a night pitstop on a deserted road in Phnom Penh.

Director Bio: Kavich Neang (b. 1987) has directed five shorts and one full-length documentary in a career dating back to 2011.

Country of Production: Cambodia

Language: Khmer

Duration: 15min 20sec

Year of Production: 2018

SSC 3: Ethereal Creature by Tinnashine Mongkolmont (Thailand)

Synopsis: Two friends attempt to return a forbidden fruit that they stole from a mythical tree fairy.

Director Bio: Tinnashine has been making short films and moving images since 2012. Her work explores the relationship between people and society, especially with regards to gender, equality, and culture. The Bangkok native tends to weave storylines based on memories and dreams.

Country of Production: Thailand

Language: Thai

Duration: 18min 55sec

Year of Production: 2018

SSC 3: Please Stop Talking by Josef Gacutan (Philippines)

Synopsis: A man tries to repair his relationship with his son, but a mysterious black figure gets in the way.

Director Bio: Josef Gacutan is a filmmaker with a special focus on animation and documentaries.

Country of Production: Philippines

Language: Filipino

Duration: 13min 33sec

Year of Production: 2018

SSC 3: To Work by Jeremy Emang Jecky (Malaysia)

Synopsis: Mr. Elisah dreams of a better life beyond his rural upbringing, but past troubles still haunt him.

Director Bio: Jeremy hopes to use his love for cinema to share the stories and folklore of Borneo to the world.

Country of Production: Malaysia

Language: Kayan

Duration: 11min 16sec

Year of Production: 2018

SSC 3: Rest In Peace by M. Reza Fahriyansyah (Indonesia)

Synopsis: A couple grieving over the sudden death of their son encounter difficulties in preparing for his funeral.

Director Bio: M. Reza Fahriyansyah is a director and writer whose works include LYN (2015), Sedeng Sang (2016), and Oleh-Oleh (2017).

Country of Production: Indonesia

Language: Javanese

Duration: 25min 52sec

Year of Production: 2018

SSC 4: Mother, Daughter, Dreams by Linh Duong (Vietnam)

Synopsis: A search for a vanished man lands his daughter and wife in unfinished dreams.

Director Bio: Linh Duong is a Vietnamese filmmaker who is extremely fascinated with sad, angsty, and naggy middle-aged women.

Country of Production: Vietnam

Language: Vietnamese

Duration: 19min 14sec

Year of Production: 2018

SSC 4: The Bird That’s Not Allowed to Chirp by Andri Firmansyah (Indonesia)

Synopsis: A last remaining home slated for demolition evokes memories of a wife lost.

Director Bio: Andri is a student on scholarship at the film faculty of the Jakarta Institute of Arts.

Country of Production: Indonesia

Language: Indonesia

Duration: 7min 39sec

Year of Production: 2019

SSC 4: The Life We Live by Loh Din-Yung (Malaysia)

Synopsis: A woman leads a simple existence in a sinking harbour city.

Director Bio: Loh Din-Yung is a fresh grauduate of the screenwriting programme at Beijing Film Academy.

Country of Production: Malaysia

Language: Mandarin

Duration: 19min 9sec

Year of Production: 2018

SSC 4: The Imminent Immanent by Carlo Francisco Manatad (Philippines)

Synopsis: The inhabitants of a rural town go about their day, oblivious to the forces of nature to come.

Director Bio: Carlo Francisco Manatad is a filmmaker from Tacloban City, Philippines.

Country of Production: Philippines

Language: Waray

Duration: 15min

Year of Production: 2018

SSC 5: Blessed Land by Phạm Ngọc Lân (Vietnam)

Synopsis: Past and present converge in the search for a grave.

Director Bio: Phạm Ngọc Lân is a Vietnamese film director with a background in urban planning and architecture.

Country of Production: Vietnam

Language: Vietnamese

Duration: 18min 32 sec

Year of Production: 2019

SSC 5: Qinglang de Tiankong by Thamsatid Charoenrittichai (Thailand)

Synopsis: A young woman is pulled in two directions by her mother and the reappearance of an absentee father.

Director Bio: Thamsatid Charoenrittichai is a Bangkok-born filmmaker of Chinese parentage.

Country of Production: Thailand

Language: Thai and Chinese

Duration: 20min

Year of Production: 2018

SSC 5: Nasi Mah Bali K Rumah by Hasanul Isyraf Idris (Malaysia)

Synopsis: The director’s hyperpersonal experiences come alive in visual detail.

Director Bio: Born and raised in Perak, Hasanul graduated with a Bachelor in Fine Art in 2000. Now residing in Penang, the multidisciplinary artist works with various media, including painting, drawing, sculpture, installation, and video.

Country of Production: Malaysia

Language: English

Duration: 5min 38sec

Year of Production: 2018

SSC 5: A Million Years by Danech San (Cambodia)

Synopsis: Relaxing at a waterfront restaurant, two people share a seemingly ordinary conversation that takes a turn to furtive experiences.

Director Bio: Danech San has been behind the production of various television programmes and films.

Country of Production: Cambodia

Language: Khmer

Duration: 20min 46sec

Year of Production: 2018

NNW 1: Forget Me Not by Anwar Johari Ho

Synopsis: A transnational romance between a Malaysian and a Chinese mainlander, told in three parts.

Director Bio: A Sabahan student filmmaker based in London, this is his first short film.

Country of Production: Malaysia

Language: Mandarin and Cantonese

Duration: 17min 15sec

Year of Production: 2019

NNW 1: Vinegar Baths by Amanda Nell Eu

Synopsis: A nurse at the maternity ward can finally eat when she is roaming the hospital corridors at night.

Director Bio: Amanda’s work explores the female body and identity within the context of Southeast Asia.

Country of Production: Malaysia

Language: English

Duration: 14min 1sec

Year of Production: 2018

NNW 1: The Life We Live by Loh Din-Yung

Synopsis: A woman leads a simple existence in a sinking harbour city.

Director Bio: Loh Din-Yung is a fresh grauduate of the screenwriting programme at Beijing Film Academy.

Country of Production: Malaysia

Language: Mandarin

Duration: 19min 9sec

Year of Production: 2018

NNW 2: Langit Budak Biru by Lim Kean Hian

Synopsis: Two teenage boys grapple with bullying at their school.

Director Bio:Langit Budak Biru is Lim’s sophomore effort after Never Was the Shade, which won best film, acting, screenplay, and editing at the 2017 BMW Shorties.

Country of Production: Malaysia

Language: Malay

Duration: 22min 36sec

Year of Production: 2018

NNW 2: Football by Chan Jie Min

Synopsis: Fond of playing football with friends, a young girl finds her hobby interrupted by Chinese New Year.

Director Bio: Chan Jie Min is currently studying film in Taiwan.

Country of Production: Malaysia

Language: Chinese

Duration: 16min

Year of Production: 2019

NNW 2: Nasi Mah Bali K Rumah by Hasanul Isyraf Idris

Synopsis: The director’s hyperpersonal experiences come alive in visual detail.

Director Bio: Born and raised in Perak, Hasanul graduated with a Bachelor in Fine Art in 2000. Now residing in Penang, the multidisciplinary artist works with various media, including painting, drawing, sculpture, installation, and video.

Country of Production: Malaysia

Language: English

Duration: 5min 38sec

Year of Production: 2018

NNW 2: Simon and Ah Bou by Vikster Chew Chin Wai

Synopsis: Two friends reminisce about their past after a devastating incident.

Director Bio: Vikster is an editor, videographer, and occasional director.

Country of Production: Malaysia

Language: Cantonese

Duration: 13min 10sec

Year of Production: 2018

NNW 3: Light of Memories by Sim Seow Khee

Synopsis: A mother and son converse over memorial preparations.

Director Bio: Sim is a seasoned director of short films looking forward to his feature-length debut.

Country of Production: Malaysia

Language: Mandarin

Duration: 20min 40sec

Year of Production: 2019

NNW 3: To work by Jeremy Emang Jecky

Synopsis: Mr. Elisah dreams of a better life beyond his rural upbringing, but past troubles still haunt him.

Director Bio: Jeremy hopes to use his love for cinema to share the stories and folklore of Borneo to the world.

Country of Production: Malaysia

Language: Kayan

Duration: 11min 16sec

Year of Production: 2018

NNW 3: The Darkest Night by Toh Tze Wei

Synopsis: Learning Chinese in Malaysia has not always come easy.

Director Bio: Toh has directed four short films during his student days in Taiwan.

Country of Production: Malaysia

Language: Chinese

Duration: 18min 59sec

Year of Production: 2019

Llop Mougn by Oktivani Anggia Rachmalitta

A girl lets her imagination drift away to suppressed aspirations of self-certainty.

Muslimah by Nur Wulandari

Throughout her life, the director has come to understand that there are multiple interpretations of Islam and women’s place within the religion; and believes that every Muslim woman should be able to make her own choices when it comes to interpreting their faith.

One of Those Murder by Jerry Hadiprojo

Modern day priorities supersede the discovery of a dead body by two janitors.

Roti by Kiki Febriyanti

Misunderstandings ensue in a girl’s attempt to purchase sanitary napkins.

Life of Death by Jason Kiantoro and Bryan Arfiandy

Death, while struggling to balance his work and family life, shares his opinions on his existence, job, and mankind.

Programmer: Sanchai Chotirosseranee is a programmer at Thai Short Film and Video Festival.

Programme Description: These three award winners from the Thai Short Film and Video Festival create viewing experiences that push the boundaries of cinema.

A Room with a Coconut View by Tulapop Saenjaroen

An automated voice app guides a foreign tourist named Alex through Bang Saen. Eschewing its advice, he becomes lost in his surreal imagination as he explores the beach town by himself.Misunderstandings ensue in a girl’s attempt to purchase sanitary napkins.

The Sea Recalls by Aekaphong Saransate

In 2016, Krit Saranset and his wife were murdered in their home. His nephew, Aekaphong, revisits the scene of the crime in an attempt to probe the man’s past and come to terms with the tragedy.Misunderstandings ensue in a girl’s attempt to purchase sanitary napkins.

Superbarbara: The Beginning by Boonsri Tangtrongsin

An inflatable dolls decides to rise above her history of abuse and abandonment to save a word populated by easily manipulated beings.

Programmer: Thaid Dhi is a filmmaker as well as programmer at Wathann Filmfest.

Programme Description: Tales of youth intertwine in the nightfall of Yangon.

Newspaper Bill, 500 Kyats, and Stranger String

A triumvirate of short stories featuring Yangon youth that are connected through the city’s underbelly.

Seasonal Rain by Aung Phyoe

Based on a short story by Kyi Aye, a young woman struggles to cope with the changes of adulthood. As she tries to assert her own desires against repressive parents and a conservative society, Aye Aye finds her emotional resolve tested in an encounter with a distant cousin.

Programmer: Nurain Abdullah is a producer based in Brunei.

Programme Description: The line-up represents a comprehensive spread of hors d’oeuvres to Brunei’s filmmaking scene.

Langkah by Aaqil Ahmad

An aspiring swimmer working an office job begins to doubt her career choice when she meets a familiar face living her dream.

Replay by Hashfi Farizi

A married couple find themselves stuck in an endless loop of argument.

A Letter From France by Hanifi Juffri

Reminiscing their time spent together, a terminally ill man in France writes to his friend in Brunei.

The Delivery by Liyana Hanif

A pizza delivery man has his average life turned upside down by an unusual order.

Mr. Rook by Drablo Max

A man deemed insane after his wife’s mysterious disappearance is given the opportunity to seek her once more.

Alice in Wonderland Syndrome by Dk Nur Nadirah Pg Damit

A young girl has her world distorted after succumbing to the burden of stress.

Hilang by Harlif Mohamad and Farid Azlan Ghani

A man reconnects with his peers for what may be the last chance to perform the Bruneian tradition of ‘bermukun’.

Hamster Wheel by Azeez Danial

Rahim is forced to repeatedly kill his doppelgangers in order to move on from a bad break-up.

Masa by Aznniel Yunos

Hafiz can travel through time, but when this starts to affect his romantic life, he decides he wants to do away with an ability that everyone else covets.

Programmer: Park Sungho is a festival programmer and film producer based in Phnom Penh.

Programme Description: The line-up reflects a bumper year in narrative and technical quality for Cambodian cinema.

The Darkness by Lim Heng

A man contemplates his place in the world whilst shrouded in darkness.

February Wind by Mony Kann Darung

A couple attempt to repair their long-distance relationship

Sons Of April by Robin Veret

A father endeavours to find his family a way out of a repressive regime.

A Million Years by Danech San

Relaxing at a waterfront restaurant, two people share a seemingly ordinary conversation that takes a turn to furtive experiences.

Programmer: Leong Pui Yee is a film programmer at Singapore International Film Festival and Objectifs Centre for Photography and Film.

Programme Description: The purpose of life is explored in these diverse stories coming out from Singapore.

My Lady M by Tingerina Liu

Take a peek into the lives and dreams of a group of Chinese millennials as they navigate New York while sharing a fondness for one of the city’s famous patisseries.

You Idiot by Kris Ong

Roaming the streets one night, Darren and Matt write a song about what is to come in their happy-go-lucky world.

Chasing Paper by Shoki Lin

A recently retrenched woman finds herself working as a cleaner in her daughter’s secondary school, leading to strained relations between them. In a desperate attempt to salvage matters, the mother is forced to challenge her moral compass.

A Dance for Ren Hang by Lei Yuan Bin & Sara Tan

Three dancers reenact the work of Chinese photographer Ren Hang, known for his shocking depictions of taboo subjects. In 2017, he committed suicide at the age of 29. This is a homage to his fight against depression.

Programmer: Yow Chong Lee runs Mini Film Festival in his role as programmer along with his colleagues and students from Universiti Malaysia Sarawak.

Programme Description: The selection portrays a snapshot of today’s cinematic experience in Malaysia.

Blind Mouth by Chris Leong

A father is forced to protect his daughter’s secret from the authorities in a dystopian future.

I Want to Go to School by Putri Purnama Sugua

More than 70 stateless children squeeze into a baking hot shack every day for schooling under the guidance of their teacher, Rujiah Sami.

Block A-2-15 by Won Jun Yap

A new tenant spends his first day at a subdivided unit in Kuala Lumpur.

Hidden Zone by Ng Chee Chong

A boy discovers the hidden zone of his heart in a moment of self-reflection.

Programmer: Marcus Mạnh Cường Vũ is a programmer and filmmaker who was formerly the festival director of Yxine Film Fest from 2010 to 2014.

Programme Description: Potent studies of millennials in Vietnam as they confront old values, assert independence, and discover their place in the world.

Dear Ly by Nguyen Hong Quan

A father living in Brussels tells a story to his daughter in Hanoi via video call, revealing his own paternal relationship in the process.

Cold Fish by Thanh Đoàn

A girl and two men harbour veiled obsessions that are only bared in their private spaces.

Surrounded by Bui Binh Duong

The son of a parish family desires a social life he feels excluded from.

The Mute by Pham Thien An

A bride-to-be experiences her last night as a bachelorette in rainy Saigon.

First Taste by Nguyen Duy Anh

A satirical look at the recent local introduction of restrictions on smoking scenes in films.

Programmer: Helene Ouvrard is a festival programmer based in Vientiane.

Programme Description: Music and dance form the common thread of life experiences for the people of Laos.

Music Saves My Soul by Xaisongkham Induangchanthy

A portrait of a Lao traditional singer in her 60s named Khamlek, the film follows her life as she finds escape in music. As a child, she sought comfort in a singing style of Luang Prabang known as Khap Thoum, Arn Nungseu (literally “book-reading”) as a means of avoiding her predatory stepfather. Illiterate until her 50s, she learned all the songs by hearrt and carved out a living from it. The years have seen her experience two divorces and abandonment by her older sons. It is music that makes it all bearable when she sheds her current day job as a cleaner for her nightly vocation as a performer.

Please Don’t Tell Me How to Be Perfect by Sophie Vongkhamsao

A young woman stands up to bullying through dance.

Melody of Change by Ka Xiong

A mysterious and beautiful young woman named Hongfa arrives in a village in Northern Laos shared by the Khmu and Hmong communities. In an effort to bridge the divide between two cultures, she looks to the power of song in affecting change.

Programmer: Gertjan Zuilhof might one day decide he is a maker of silly drawings, but for the moment he considers himself a serious film programmer and art curator.

Programme Description: The programme features the perspectives of filmmakers entrenched in Southeast Asian communities foreign from their own. The title is a reference to the book by Noël Burch, albeit without the sole focus on Japanese cinema.

Heaven’s Crossroad by Kimi Takesue

A poetic travelogue of Vietnam exploring the cross-cultural complexities between the observer and the observed. The film is sensitive and impressionist, but also stops to examine the problems of an intercultural approach. How do we look at the other and how do they look at us?

No’I by Aline Magrez

A young Belgian film student is a guest in a country she does not speak the language of, but that does not stop her from discovering the hidden miracles of Hanoi.

Hekishu by Daishi Matsunaga

 Yangon is a city in the throes of rapid economic growth, even as lingering patches of the old cityscape remain. A Japanese businessman is thrust in the middle when he is sent there to lead a railroad development project.

Programmer: Koyo Yamashita has served as the festival director of Image Forum since 2001 and programmer at Theatre Image Forum from 2005. The Tokyo native also contributes his programming and curating talents to many film and media art events locally and abroad.

Programme Description: Life goes on, and so does the drawing and shooting. For independent animators, their work is the outcome of the daily creation process. Each title in the line-up utilise traditional handdrawn techniques.

WONDER by Mirai Mizue

A day begins, a day ends. Life is born, and dies before long. There is a beginning to everything, and equally there comes an end. The recurring birth and death of small existences drives this world. The mystery, miracle, surprise, and wonder of life are expressed in 8,760-cell glory.

Planted Man by Tomohiro Shinoda

A single and unemployed forty-year-old man spends his days pulling up weeds around his family home. He longs for the day when he will finally see his efforts bear fruit. In the meantime, the invasive plants continue to flourish with awful vigour.

Metamorphous: Mountains and Streams (Ms. Yamakawa Keiko Never Looks Back) by Keita Kurosawa

Nosltagia abounds for the past when people were much purer and more innocent compared to today. But the landscape of mountains and rivers constantly change without regard for such sentiments as things are never the same again. A beautiful and intense visual poem created from several thousand pencil drawings.

One Phrase Theater by Jun Sakurai and Taku Furukawa

The filmic adaptation of a short-form series created in the wake of the Tōhoku earthquake and Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster. Musical backing comes courtesy of composer and lyricist Jun Sakurai, a mainstream icon in Japan.

Programmer: Makiko Wakai is the coordinator of the “New Asian Currents” programme at Yamagata International Documentary Film Festival, which aims to showcase and bring together emerging filmmakers from across the region.

Programme Description: The titles venture beyond the limits of the documentary genre in ways that will challenge and move audiences.

Gift by Okuma Katsuya

A look at the circumstances and people surrounding the destruction of a culturally historical cemetery necessitated by redevelopment works in the Japanese neighbourhood of Wakasa.

Diminishing Memories by Eng Yee Peng

Through the memories of an older brother and from her own childhood, the director revisits the village of her birth that no longer exists.

Based in Bangkok, Sorayos had worked as a sound technician and foley artist before taking his place at the director’s seat. His short films have won local acclaim and shown internationally at film festivals including Rotterdam, Venice, Locarno, Fribourg, and Winterthur. In 2015, he received the prestigious Hubert Bals Script Development Fund for his feature debut, Arnold is a Model Student.

Auntie Maam Has Never Had a Passport / 2014

Auntie Maam is a foot masseuse who occasionally moonlights as an actress in independent films. One day, she receives news that a movie she starred in was selected for screening at a European film festival. Auntie Maam, who has never owned a passport, consults her nephew on obtaining one during a time of political unrest in Thailand.

A Souvenir from Switzerland / 2015

Sorayos was invited to present one of his works at the Winterthur Festival. There, he runs into an Afghan director, who relays his story of becoming a political refugee in Switzerland.

Death of the Sound Man / 2017

From eroticism to national pride, two sound recordists let their imaginations run loose to complete a film project. In turn, they wonder whether their contributions will ever be acknowledged.

Dossier of the dossier / 2019

A director and producer attempt to get their project bankrolled.

Roxlee is an animator, director, cartoonist, painter, and all-around rock star of Philippine cinema. First making his name with cult favourite comic strip Cesar Asar, he then made the foray into filmmaking where his influence is still most keenly felt today. His early works were done in Super 8mm film—divided between hand-drawn, scratchy works like The Great Smoke, and pixellated live-action pieces like Juan Gapang. Both are now considered classics of the independent film movement of the 1980s.

The Great Smoke / 1983

An anti-war tragicomedy about the nuclear holocaust dancing to the beat of Pink Floyd.

ABCD / 1984

A reinterpretation of the alphabet with the Lord’s prayer in Tagalog.

Cesar Asar’s Box / 1990

An adaptation of Rox’s comic strip, Cesar Asar.

Left Turn / 2001

A mixture of very short subjects done in oil pastel.

Monkey and the Turtle / 2005

Inspired by national hero Jose Rizal’s drawings from his retelling of the Philippine folk tale.

Planet of the Noses / 2011

A man without a brain attempts to catch one on a hill.

Manila Scream / 2016

A man without a brain attempts to catch one on a hill.

Animation Workshop and Screening

About the Film

Armed with the tagline “Voices of New Malaysia” and themed by politically sensitive subject matters such as racism, paedophilia, and corruption, 15Malaysia consists of 15 short films that feature Malaysian celebrities and politicians in principal acting roles. The anthology’s massive popularity upon its Internet release in 2009 heralded a decade of viral political filmmaking that culminated with the fall of the BN government in 2018.

About the Producer

Pete Teo is an award-winning musician, actor, and filmmaker. His recent work include principal roles in the Hollywood blockbuster Ghost In The Shell as well as A Family Tour by Chinese director Ying Liang. He is currently co-producing and co-directing a feature film with Liew Seng Tat entitled The Girl With No Head.

“It is easy to forget how much Malaysia has changed in the decade since 15Malaysia was first released. The fear of speaking out publicly against political abuse and bigotry, so insidious in Old Malaysia, seemed to have dissipated in the so-called New one. To the extent that 15Malaysia contributed to this development, I am immensely proud of it. That these raw little political films continue to provoke even now speaks for the universal power of cinema and the talents of the filmmakers who made them. Thank you all for your voices.”

The Son by Desmond Ng

A teenage Chinese witness to a racially motivated assault is being driven to the police station. A quiet reminder of the dangers of inter-communal suspicion and conflict.

Potong Saga by Ho Yuhang

A laugh-out-loud film about a Chinese boy’s misguided attempts at opening an Islamic bank account.

Lollipop by Nam Ron

A haunting portrayal of a paedophile preparing to hunt, interspersed with metaphors on the state of Malaysian politics.

Slovak Sling by Woo Ming Jin

A comedic re-enactment of how one politician tries to entice another to switch party allegiance as DVD pirates look on.

The Tree by Amir Muhammad

Malaysia’s most influential spiritual leader Nik Aziz offers commentary on the virtuous and Islamic way to conduct ethical commerce in his inimitable style.

Duit Kecil by Johan John

A man finds himself without small change in a cheap brothel. Many arguments ensue and problems faced by the Malaysian common man are discussed humorously.

Healthy Paranoia by Khairil M. Bahar

An overzealous public relations consultant advises the current minister of health on how to discourage unhealthy lifestyles in Malaysia.

Chocolate by Yasmin Ahmad

A quiet tale that reminds us that, despite the multifaceted contradiction of Malaysia, life goes on—even if not all of it is sweet.